This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Friday, December 26, 2025 (22 Across). The answer is hidden below until you want it. Friday puzzles are themeless and hard, with clues that are vague on purpose.
How to read this clue
This is a fill-in-the-blank clue: the answer completes the phrase, title or quotation.
Answer length: 3 squares
First letter
N _ _
Show the answer
About the answer
NEO as a word: A male given name originating as a coinage; A surname.
NEO has been an answer 14 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since December 10, 2025.
Other clues with the same answer
- Hero famously "red-pilled," in film
- New start?
- "The Matrix" character
- Paleo- : old :: ___ : new
- Opposite of paleo-
- "The Matrix" character whose name, aptly, is an anagram of ONE
- Prefix with liberal
- Sci-fi protagonist who says "I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life"
- Lead-in to liberalism
- Prefix with classic
- Prefix with natal
- Iconic repeated Keanu Reeves role
More clues from this puzzle
- Doing some theater work (17 Across)
- Cracked wheat used in tabbouleh (18 Across)
- One whose beauty is on the inside (19 Across)
- Whole kit and caboodle (20 Across)
- Plant that's toxic to cats (23 Across)
- Some babysitters (24 Across)
- A cold one is unexpected (and usually unappreciated) (25 Across)
- Since Jan. 1, on a pay stub (26 Across)
Play today's NYT Crossword at The New York Times
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